In celebration of our fifth birthday, we look back at why we were created to begin with: There's a gap in the market: the focus to improve the customer experience often competes with cost reduction and efficiency creation. But that doesn't need to be the case! These two approaches not only can, but should work together to create great customer experiences while increasing efficiency.

Understanding the problem. Designing impactful solutions. Making it stick. Having one or two is good, but bringing all three elements together is where the magic happens. It requires thought and planning, but with all three, your initiatives will really make a difference.

When we understand our end-to-end customer journeys and their true health, we can start to see where the gaps are and where we need to invest. The experiences we create are based on the services and processes that deliver them.

Did you know that design-led companies have increased revenue at almost twice the rate of their industry counterparts in the last 5 years? In a McKinsey Quarterly report titled “The Business Value of Design,” it was found that 300 publicly listed companies have demonstrated a substantial increase in revenue due to their design-led initiatives. Now, this is not an easy journey, but it’s definitely worth it.